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Staff Systems Safety Engineer

Austin, Texas

Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond.

We operate at the cutting edge of embodied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better.

JOB SUMMARY

We are seeking an experienced Staff Systems Safety Engineer to lead and execute our product safety roadmap and drive functional safety architecture & design of our general-purpose robots. This is a unique opportunity to have a large impact at a high growth start-up. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, with a successful track record of building the product safety roadmap, leading safety requirements of complex electro-mechanical products in compliance with regulatory standards, we’d love to speak with you. You will be responsible for collaborating with engineering teams to support safety-critical functions, establish robust development methodologies, and ensure strict compliance with relevant safety standards, with a particular emphasis on navigating emergent and evolving consumer safety regulations and securing requisite product safety certifications.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

  • Lead safety risk assessments with internal stakeholders, build an executable product safety roadmap, summarize compliance reports & impact analysis.
  • Be the leader within Apptronik on product and functional safety and develop the safety plan for safety critical functions according to IEC61508.
  • Develop and document product safety requirements and technical safety concepts.
  • Lead the system level failure analysis and guide component level analysis for Apptronik’s robot product portfolio.
  • Contribute to the development and architectural design by applying industry-standard safety methodologies, thereby supporting the deployment of humanoid robot prototypes and safety-critical systems within commercial environments.
  • Collaborate with design, development, and verification teams on safety activities for robotic systems.
  • Generate essential safety documentation, including safety plans, risk analyses, and reliability assessments.
  • Partner with product management, design engineering, service, and maintenance to drive the safety design, compliance with technical standards and regulatory frameworks.
  • Partner with product validation to ensure clear documentation of verification results of safety functions and requirements. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to validate safety requirements and develop synergy between safety activities and development activities. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to validate safety requirements and foster synergy between safety activities and development activities.

 

SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS:

  • Industry expertise in Systems Engineering, hazard and risk assessment (HARA), Design failure mode and effect analysis (DFMEA), and safety strategy development and implementation
  • Prior experience in taking products to commercialization in adherence to safety standards
  • Extensive experience in safety engineering on various robotic systems, with a focus on safety-critical functions in consumer applications
  • Deep expertise in industrial robotics and associated safety standards, including R15.06, R15.08, IEC 62061, and IEC 61508.
  • Experience with compliance and functional safety tools & processes.
  • Leadership experience in change management to execute the safety roadmap.
  • Expertise is requirements management tools (such as JAMA) and framework to document, review, and approve safety requirements.
  • Creative problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess risk and make design and development decisions to enhance safety
  • Ability to creatively solve problems, evaluate risk, and make design and development choices that improve safety.
  • Track record of obtaining NRTL safety certifications for commercialized products
  • Proven success in securing NRTL safety certifications for commercially available products.

 

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: 

  • Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Master’s degree preferred)
  • At least 8+ years of systems engineering experience leading safety for complex electro-mechanical systems and robotics and getting products through safety certification.

 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer 
  • Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times 
  • Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen 
  • Hearing and speech to communicate

 

Perks: 

  • Competitive salary w/ benefits 
  • Highly motivating equity incentive package 
  • Flexible work hours policy 
  • Professional development opportunities 
  • Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
  • 401k plan 

 

 

 

*This is a direct hire.  Please, no outside Agency solicitations. 

Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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